Coupler for pneumatic organs



(N0 Model.)

M. CLARK.

GOUPLER FOR PNBUMATIG ORGANS.

Patented June 21 Unire @rares Parent @tirreno CLARK, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

CCUPLER FDR PNEUIVTEC CRGANS.,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 606,175, dated June 21,1898.

Application filed July `30, 1897. Serial No. 646,476. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ wtcm/ it Duty concern:

Be it known thatl, MnLvILLnv CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful-Improvements in Couplers for-PneumaticOrgans, which are fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide improved means for couplingoctaves in pneumatically-operated reed-organs or other musicalinstruments whose sound-controllin g devices are pneumatically actuated.

In the drawings, Figure I is a fore-and-aft section through a reed-organhaving my improvement, showing one reed-valve and its operatingmechanism, including the pneumatics and manual-key connections and thecoupling stop-action. Fig. 2 is a detailed plan of the same structure invwhich parts of four octaves of the primarypneumatics and couplingconnections are shown.

The general structure of the organ here illustrated is that which I haveused heretofore and which is shown in several patents heretofore grantedto me.

A is the wind-chest; B, a reed-block; C, the reed controlling valve; D,the motorpneumatic or reed valve actuating pneumatic; E, the primarypneumatic whose function is by means of the valves E and Eb, mounted ona common stem carried by said pneumatic, to control the communication ofthe motor-pneumatic with the wind-chest and with the outer air, andthereby cause the action of said motor-pneumatic to actuate with thereed-valve.

F is a duct leading from the primary pneumatic to a board J, which iscontrolled by valve g on the lever G, which is provided with aspring Ga,tending to hold the valve g seated. The lever G is actuated by thepitman II on a manual-key II. It will be understood that the depressionof the manualkey, lifting the valve g, and Venting the primary pneumaticwill cause the latter to beinflated and to close the communication ofthe motor-pneumatic with the outer air and open communication with thewind-chest, thus eansin g said motor-pneumatic to be collapsed and toactuate the reed-valve C by means of the connecting-tape c. vThe lductf, of-which the tube F is a Vcontinuation andthrough which the primarypneumatic is vented, has a branch F, whichV may v lead to atrackerrange, (not showm) where it may be controlled by'a perforatedmusic-sheet for the purpose of Venting the primary pneumatic andoperating the instrument automatically.

The selfplaying appurtenances are not illustrated, because their action,so far as the present invention is concerned, is precisely equivalent tothat caused by the depression of the manual-key, and it may beunderstood that the coupler devices which constitute the invention kandwhich will now be described perform their function in precisely similarmanner whether` the instrument is operated by manual or self playingappurtenances.

For the purpose of coupling I provide each primary pneumatic with anadditional ventopening E(l and over each such vent-opening a valve K,which may be arranged to seat by being pivoted at its Yupper end, asillustrated, and itsiseating further insured by means of the weightedlever-arm K, which project-s forward from its lower en d. Fachmotor-pneumatic is provided with a rigid arm or iinger D". On the boardX, on which the motorpneumatics are mounted, I mount pivotallyacoupler-board L, which is pivoted at its rear edge Vupon a rib L and isadapted to be raised and lowered at its forward edge, and for thatpurpose is connected at one end by the link Lb with therearward-projecting arm of the bell-cranklever M, whosedownwardly-projecting arm is connected at its lower end to the stop-rodN, so that the pushing in of the stop-rod lifts the coupler-board at theforward edge and the drawing out of the stop lowers the board at theforward edge. Cn the coupler-board I mount rock-shafts T T, dac., whichextend obliquely across the board, so that their rear ends are laterallyremote from their forward ends substantially one octave distance. Eachrock-shaft has at the forward end a lever-arm Ta and at the rear end alever-arm Tb. To state the relation of the two ends more exactly, thelever-arm TALL at the forward end of the rock-shafts T overhangs thefinger D of the motor-pneumatic, and the lever-arm Tb at the rear end ofthe same rock.-

IOO

2 ecarte shaft is overhung by the lever K of the ventvalve l, whichpertains to the octave-distant primary pneumatic.

When the forward edge of the couplerboard is depressed, as shown in Fig.l, this position corresponding to the position of the stop when it ispulled out, the lever-arms T are in a position to be encountered by thearms D of their respective motor-pneu 1n atics when the pneumatics arecollapsed-that is, in the reed-valve-opening movement of thepneumatic-and being' thus encountered the rockshafts are rocked by thecollapsing,1 movement of the motor-pneumatie sufficiently to cause thearms Tb to encounter the lever-arms K of the valves K and open saidvalves, thus venting the primary pneumatic one octave distant from eachmotor pneumatic with which the motion originates, and thereby causingt,rthe reed corresponding` to such octave distant primary pneumatic tospeak simultaneously with the reed whose valve it operated by the firstmotor-pneumatic. lVhen the stop is pushed in and the coupler-board isthereby lifted at the 'forward edge, the lever-arms T" are carried outof reach of the arms 1) of the motor-pneumatics, and the coupling effectis not produced.

For the purpose of couplingv the range of the instrument is divided intoan upper and a lower half, so that above the division-point the couplingwill be made upward and below that point will be made downward, and thecoupling-board may be divided at the correspending,l point and the twosections operated by separate stops, the connection being` preciselysimilar in the two cases; but on the right-hand or upper corui ler-boardthe rockshafts T will extend obliquely to the right from frontto rear,and on the left-hand or lower coupler-board the rock-shafts will extendobliquely to the left from front to the rear, as shown in Fig. 2.

l claiml. In a mechanicallyoperated organ in combination with the reed-valves, motorpneumatics which operate them, primary pneumatica whichcause the motor-puoiunatics to act g vent-valves for the primarypneumatics, and lever-arms exteni'linn' from the motor-pneumatics andfrom the vent-valves respectively; a pivoted coupler-board; reels shaftsmounted obliquely thereon having;l lcver-arms at their opposite endsadapted to cooperate respectively with the levenarms ci' themotor-Imeumatics and with those oli' the vent-valves of theoctave-distant primary pneumatics, the couplersboard pivot being,- solocated that at one position of the board the roclcshalft lever-arms atone end will be encountered and actuated by the motor-pneumaticlever-arms, and those at theother end will encounter and actuate theventsvalvele ver-arms, and at another position said roel:- shaftlever-arms at one end shall. lao ou t of operative relation to thelever-arms of the cooperating part.

2. In a pneumatic organ in combination with the horiZontally-locatedmotor-1mcumatics and the board X upon the under side of which they aremounted; the primary pneumatics having,` vent-valves l; a couplerlr oardmounted upon the upper side of' the board X; and the rock-shafts mountedobliiplely thereon having' lever-arms at their opposite endsrespectively, one octave distance apart; the motor-pneumaties having thelever-arms D and the vent-valves]laving thelever-arms K in position tocooperate with the front and rear rock-shaft arms respectively; thecoupler-board beingl pivoted at one edge and provided with stopconnections for tilting;l it on its pivot, to carry the lever-arias atone end of the rock-shafts into and oui-,ef operative relation with thelever-arms of their rei spective cooperating parts.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand, in the preseneeof twowitnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 23d day el.' July, i807.

itfllfiliill U LAN K.

llfitnesses:

Guns. S. U1-:fron1 E. T. "Nami

